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sgsairl said: Hello, I've been away for the whole week and haven't able to check/do updates yet. Right now I can't, so I'll do them tomorrow. Sorry for being neglectful and thank you for keeping the thread going.

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Copycat or trend?The success of “Grandpas Over Flowers” on tvN, top, has spawned a similar show, “Mamado,” KBS’s reality program, bottom. A recent spate of Korean copycat shows are irking some viewers, revealing a lack of creativity and authenticity. / Courtesy of tvN and KBS

Similar TV variety shows reveal lack of creativity By Chung Ah-youngTelevision shows such as SBS’s “Running Man” or MBC’s “Where are We Going Dad?” have gained popularity not only in Korea but also in other countries such as Vietnam and China.Foreign broadcasters have purchased the formats of the Korean television shows and remade them into local versions. Also, some programs are broadcast with local voices dubbed over. Either way, the popularity of the shows has contributed to boosting the Korean broadcasting industry.However, a recent spate of Korean copycat shows are irking some viewers, revealing a lack of creativity and authenticity, which might throw cold water on the growing demand from other countries for the programs. A slew of variety shows are using the same successful formats as their predecessors.MBC’s “Where are We Going Dad?” puts celebrity dads’ children through various camping missions. / Courtesy of MBCThe success of “Grandpas Over Flowers” on tvN has spawned a similar show, “Mamado,” KBS’s reality program, which features four older actresses — Kim Young-ok, Kim Yong-rim, Kim Soo-mi and Lee Hyo-chun — along with actor Lee Tae-gon.The show follows a similar format to “Grandpas” in which four graying actors — Lee Sun-jae, Shin Gu, Park Geun-hyung and Baek Il-sup — travel together with younger actor Lee Suh-jin who supports them as a porter. The older actors are dubbed “H4” inspired by the “F4” in the popular television drama “Boys Over Flowers.”The inaugural episode’s rating was an impressive 4.15 percent, the highest for cable entertainment programs. Produced by Nah Yung-suk who created “2 Days and 1 Night” on KBS before he moved to CJ E&M last year, the program has recently launched its third season.KBS’s “Superman Returns” takes the camera into the homes of comedian Lee Hui-jae, combat sports athlete Choo Sung-hun, rapper Tablo and actor Jang Hyun-sung to show their interactions with their children. / Courtesy of KBSConcerning the controversy over the similarity of its show, KBS said that it is different from “Grandpas.” But the show clearly follows many of the same concepts of “Grandpas” and “2 Days and 1 Night.”KBS was also under fire for creating a new show, “Superman Returns,” which is modeled after MBC’s “Where Are We Going Dad?” Both programs feature stars’ children. ”Dad” was first aired last year, saving MBC’s faltering viewer ratings for Sunday evening entertainment shows in primetime.KBS swiftly ripped off the idea and launched its own version of the childcare reality show. While MBC puts celebrity dads’ children through various camping missions, KBS takes the camera into the homes of comedian Lee Hui-jae, combat sports athlete Choo Sung-hun, rapper Tablo and actor Jang Hyun-sung to show their interactions with their children. The two programs are broadcast in the same timeslot.SBS’s “Oh! My Baby” features grandparents such as veteran actor Im Hyun-sik who take care of their grandchildren. / Courtesy of SBS

When KBS first broadcast its pilot version of “Superman,” it faced harsh criticism. However, now “Superman” is catching up with the popularity of MBC’s show by finding its own way. Viewers like the way the program delivers the struggles of celebrity dads in bringing up their children.While KBS is jumping on the bandwagon of the successful entertainment shows, SBS recently joined the trend by airing “Oh! My Baby,” a childcare variety show. But this time, grandparents take care of the children. After launching a pilot version, SBS officially began the program which features veteran actor Im Hyun-sik, who looks after the babies of his daughter and son-in-law.Also, top comedian Yoo Jae-suk’s new show, “I am a Man,” which will begin in April on KBS, is getting viewers’ attention because of the way it looks similar to “Witch Hunt” on JTBC.“Witch Hunt” has four male guests who consult viewers to find a solution and talk with female guests in depth. The program has been garnering explosive popularity among young viewers since its debut in April.KBS’s new show also adopts a similar spin to “Witch Hunt” by hiring three to four male entertainers who talk with the male audience about women. In every episode, female guests talk with the male hosts.After the format of the new show was unveiled last week, netizens and critics pointed out that it copied “Witch Hunt’s” successful format.Also, MBN’s “Family Samgukji” resembles JTBC’s “Yujasik Sangpalja,” as both programs are basically a talk show involving stars and their children. “Family” has adopted almost the same format as “Yujasik,” from the studio setting to the program compositions, and only differs in that it adds the grandparents of star families.“Recently, reality shows observing stars’ real lives has become a trend, but copying others’ ideas is different from following a trend. To avoid similarity, they should create something new. Copycats will erode the broadcasters’ creativity as well as their brand images,” Gong Hee-jung, a broadcasting critic, said. chungay@koreatimes.co.kr, | march 10 2014 | koreatimes

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Stars and outstanding parentsKids of sport stars, top artists become entertainers, rising on parents’ fameBy Park Si-sooLike parent, like child?In several cases, fathers’ blue-blooded sports DNA has manifested into an artistic talent in their children.

Popular actor Lee Seo-jin, 43, is another case. His grandfather and father were bankers. The actor graduated from New York University with a bachelor’s degree in business. His personal wealth, mostly inherited from his parents, is estimated at 60 billion won, according to news reports.omitted non related parts..pss@koreatimes.co.kr, | march 7 | koreatimes

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Old, unscripted and funSenior stars shine in reality showsBy Yun Suh-youngThe reality show genre has found a new formula for success: old people."Halbae (grandfathers) Over Flowers,’’ which follows a group of over-70 actors backpacking around Europe, has been such a success that tvN pushed for a self-parody in ''Noona (older sisters) Over Flowers,’’ which is essentially the same show shot with old actresses."Baengnyeon Sonnim (Son in Law),’’ an unscripted family show on SBS, generates high ratings by simply showing how old folks will react with their children-in-law under the same roof.Culture critic Jung Duk-hyun said that viewers might be enjoying watching shows about old people the same way they enjoy shows about children."When you think about it, children and the elderly are perfect as cast members for reality television,’’ he said."Children are pure and innocent and they don’t filter themselves. Old people also speak very frankly, but because of their experience: they have been through so much so they seem always unfazed."Programs such as Halbe are doing a good job in making an entertaining show out of their cast members, who are shown as people the younger generation of people can sympathize and identify with. And of course, the older generation of viewers love the experience of watching shows about people closer to their age.’’It is not like the producers of the shows are letting their senior stars have it easy. In Halbae Over Flowers, the actors — Lee Sun-jae (79), Shin Gu (78), Park Geun-hyung (74) and Baek Il-sup (70) — are constant targets of jokes by the crew and are given difficult tasks to accomplish during their trips. The goal is to see them struggle and bumble. Nah Yung-suk, the show’s producer, deserves credit for acquiring a group of stars with self-deprecating humor."We purposely casted the elderly staff whose ages are 70 and over. It’s because older people with a lot of experience, have lots of stories to tell,” said Nah."When you travel with people with a lot of experience who have gone through the success and failures in life, you learn a lot from them. Their stories teach us something about life whereas the younger cast doesn’t have those stories to tell.”ysy@ktimes.co.kr, | March 18 2014 | koreatimes

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Joy of the roadThe cast of “Halbae (grandpas) Over Flowers” pose for a photo during their backpack trip to Spain. From left are Lee Seo-jin, Lee Sun-jae, Shin Gu, Baek Il-sup and Park Geun-hyung. / Courtesy of CJ E&MProducer Nah talks about new season of "Halbae (grandpas) Over Flowers"By Yun Suh-youngNah Yung-suk, Korea’s most influential television show creator, has been milking the same template for repeated success: Take a group of likable but bumbling personalities, throw them in random travel destinations and wait for humorous adventures to unfold.Producer Nah Yung-suk smiles during an interview with The Korea Times. Korea Times photo by Yun Suh-youngKBS television’s “2 Days and 1 Night,” the show that triggered Nah’s breakthrough, made stars out of cast members such as Kang Ho-dong, Lee Seung-ki and Kim Su-geun, who took their unintentional slapstick to new locations in Korea every week.After leaving KBS for tvN, a cable network run by culture industry giant CJ E&M, Nah created a similar show in “Halbae (grandpas) Over Flowers,” where a group of over-70 actors join Lee Seo-jin, a 42-year-old television star who works as their “porter,” on trips around the world.“Halbae” enjoyed immediate success since the show’s debut in 2013 and inspired CJ E&M to make a spin-off in “Noona (older sisters) Over Flowers,” which is basically the same show done with middle-aged actresses.There is something transcendent about the simple and unpolished humor of Nah’s shows that allowed tvN to leverage their domestic popularity into international success.“Noona” has been generating a buzz in Japan since debuting on local television last month. A Chinese broadcaster is in intellectual property talks with CJ as it looks to launch its own show that borrows Nah’s format.The Korea Times recently sat down with Nah, who has high expectations for the third season of Halbae which starts on Friday, where Lee and the senior actors — Lee Sun-jae (79), Shin Gu (78), Park Geun-hyung (74) and Baek Il-sup (70) — roam around different locations in Spain.Q: Why do you think the Halbae and Noona shows are so popular, not only in Korea, but also overseas?A: I think travel is a universal theme of interest. You don’t need to speak the language of the show as the thrill and joy of traveling require no explanation.I think people are also finding the cast members — senior actors and high profile actresses — as interesting.Q: What inspired you to experiment with a traveling show starring senior actors?A: Initially, I was just trying to make a show about backpacking. Backpack trips are activities that are normally associated with young people. A young cast would have made the show predictable.I thought there would be much fun in sending famous people in their 70s on backpack trips — who are from a generation that didn’t do those things — and I am happy about how the show turned out.The thinking between Noona was similar — get a group of top actresses who are normally treated like princesses and flush them out of their comfort zone.Q: So, who are next after old men and actresses?A: We’re exploring a number of ideas. If we make a program with young people, I guess the traveling may have to be a little more “hardcore.”Q: In Halbae, you show no interest in making accommodation and other experiences more comfortable for the senior cast.A: In my experience, comfortable trips are only delightful in that moment. Laborious trips are painful at that moment but memorable afterwards. It’s like how men keep talking about their experience in the military although it was painful.I thought having such memory wouldn’t be a bad idea from travelling. It’s strenuous for the elderly but they talk about it gleefully afterwards.Q: How did you pick the cast?A: For Halbae, I wanted the members to be close friends, a group of old actors who have worked together for a long time. And they had to be at least over 70.For Noona, I was looking for actresses who were transcendent personalities and also over 40. I wanted people who were wise, experienced and had great life stories to tell.Q: What’s special about the third series in Spain? Any key viewing points?A: The first two episodes of the new season created interesting moments of clumsiness, which came from unfamiliarity with the environment. The grandpas must have come with self-confidence and ease this time. But we installed some hard core elements that they didn’t expect coming. You’ll see.Q: Has health ever been an issue for cast members?A: When we started filming the third season, Lee Sun-jae, 79, was sick. He had flu but he refused to rest. The staff told him to stay home but he didn’t. He said, “I don’t know when I’ll come back. I don’t know if I’ll be able to come back.” Hearing that was moving.Old people value their time more than young people do. Every second, every minute meant so much more to Lee.Q: How do you select your travel destinations?A: For the Halbae series, the first priority was to choose a place the members would like. Second was to choose a place Korean backpackers prefer and go often.For the Noona series, we chose Croatia. Croatia isn’t a place many Korean backpackers go. But it’s a country of stunning natural beauty and I was sure that the female members would love it.Q: Do you receive help from tourism offices of those countries?A: Case by case. If we receive help from the tourism office, we can get administrative support like getting permission to shoot at a popular film set.But it has its downsides too. Our program is a reality show. We can’t decide on where to go in advance.Sometimes the routes change as we go but tourism offices don’t like that. We would have to cater to their needs if we receive complete help. So we only ask for partial help.Q: So then everything is decided spontaneously?A: We have the general idea of where to go when we start. For instance, the older cast members exchange their opinions on where they want to go and Lee Seo-jin gathers the information and comes up with the rough list. Then the rest we revise as we go.We just decide on the big cities and then make small changes within. So the backbone is there but everything else is spontaneous.Q: Do the cast receive help from local guides?A: Only the staff does. We have a professional guide always next to us. So when the cast members come up with a route, the guide tells us if it’s a place of danger or risk. If we think it’s necessary to tell the cast, we do so they can change the route; otherwise we leave it to their choice.It’s because if the guide is involved, people tend to depend on the professional. That’s why people going on package tours don’t think because they don’t have to. They leave it to the guide and don’t speak out their opinions.If our cast has a guide next to them, they wouldn’t study because they don’t have to. So they can’t contact with a guide, only we can.Q: For seven years since the start of “2 Days and 1 Night,” you continuously worked on travel reality programs. Is there a reason you chose to produce travel-related shows?A: I don’t consider myself a hardcore traveler. But Koreans like traveling a lot. Even when the economy is doing badly, Koreans would travel overseas. Hotels, airlines are always fully booked. And as a producer, I have to make programs of subjects people like.People like travel but can’t always go travelling unless they’re a travel reporter. Ordinary people would go once a year during their vacation and the rest of the time they get vicarious satisfaction from watching others travel.Q: What’s your definition of travel?A: My definition of a good trip is one where you leave with a very loose plan, expecting coincidence on the way. That’s how I travel and how I produce my shows.We live in a world full of information so we can set up our plans with a click even without going there. It’s a matter of style, but I think differently.I think when we travel, we expect something fun to happen to us, or wish for something to happen. But if we go with everything planned, there’s no room for that to happen. There’s no reason for you to take the wrong bus or get lost.It’s not the type of trip I prefer. If I get lost and end up in a different place, I think I’ve received a present. Some people may think they’ve wasted their time, but I think it’s an unexpected gift. So I plan very loosely and let things happen on the way.Q: What’s the greatest thing about doing travel shows?A: I like the experience of interacting with different people and filming the chemistry between people in unfamiliar settings.When I film, I’m interested in how people connect, how they mingle, how they eat and sleep. Someone would complain their leg hurts and suggest taking a bus. Others would want to walk. They communicate and agree what they should do as a group. I love this process.My interest isn’t to just point to the Eiffel Tower and film it. I really believe that the focus should be on the journey, not the destination.ysy@ktimes.co.kr | March 4 2014 | koreatimes

I think this is the most insightful interview on the creation of the show as well as Na PDs genius and I LOVE it!

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China gets rights to remake 'Grandpas Over Flowers' series

After a series of successful Korean drama remakes overseas, it seems like China is taking the lead in remaking popular Korean entertainment shows. And this time, it is tvN's "Grandpas Over Flowers"."We had a contract with Shanghai Media Group, which grants the right for a Chinese company to officially remake the program in China", said an official from CJ E&M, which operates tvN.CJ E&M added that they are planning to film the next "Grandpas" series in mainland China. "In addition to the purchase of the program's format, we will work with the Shanghai Media Group and hand down the secret of producing a successful reality show", it said.Shanghai Media Group is housed under the Shanghai Media & Entertainment Group (SMEG) and is a giant media corporation that handles television and radio broadcasting. It produced the Chinese version of "Britain's Got Talent", "American Idol" and "Master Chef". By Kim Hee-eun, contributing writer

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class="titleNews" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; font-family: arial, dotum, Helvetica, AppleGothic, tahoma, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 23px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 28px; border-bottom-width: 3px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(80, 80, 80); color: rgb(68, 68, 68);"SNSD Sunny says She was Lucky to Have Lee Seo Jin Come into Her LifeHaving felt down in the dumps, Girls’ Generation’s Sunny revealed that it was because of Lee Seo Jin that she was able to get out of her slump.

On March 18’s broadcast of Mnet’s The Beatles Code 3D, Sunny appeared as a guests.On the show, she was asked about Lee Seo Jin, who is currently appearing on tvN’s Grandpas Over Flowers, especially because Lee Seo Jin has chosen Sunny as his ideal type several times.

“I was very lucky to cross paths with Lee Seo Jin,” said Sunny. “Truthfully, during that time, I was in a bit of a slump and was having a hard time. I was supposed to be receiving love from doing variety show, but all of the sudden, I became scared to go out on shows.”

Sunny continued, saying that it was when Grandpas Over Flowers asked her to appear on the show after Lee Seo Jin mentioned her several times.

“I actually rejected at first, but I felt apologetic and decided to go,” said Sunny, who joined the Taiwan trip with the veteran actors. “When I actually got there, it really felt like I just traveled to have fun. It was really exciting and came naturally that I was able to climb out of my slump.”

'The Beatles Code', Sunny tells that Lee Seo Jin is not her favorite typeSunny told that Lee Seo Jin is not her favorite type.On March 18th, Girls' Generation's Tae Yeon, Tiffany, and Hyo Yeon appeared on Mnet 'The Beatles Code 3D'.During the show, MC Shin Dong Yeop mentioned that actor Lee Seo Jin chose Sunny as his ideal type, and asked if she has any interests in Lee Seo Jin.Sunny said, "He is 19 years older than me," and "I heard he is of the same age with Kim Gura."Then, MC Shin Dong Yeop asked if the age gap is the biggest problem, and Sunny said, "He treats me like an uncle. I don't think that he thinks of me like that."MC Shin Dong asked, "Is he any close to your ideal type," and Sunny replied, "I'm so sorry."Meanwhile, Lim Chang Jung told that he decided to appear on 'The Beatles Code 3D' to see Girls' Generation./Reporting by Lim ju-hui en@starnnews.com | starnnews

Sunny says, "Lee Seo Jin brought me luck"Source; STARN NewsThis image has been resized to fit in the page. Click to enlarge.Sunny drew attention by talking about Lee Seo Jin.On March 18th, Girls' Generation's Tae Yeon, Tiffany, and Hyo Yeon appeared on Mnet 'The Beatles Code 3D'.During the show, Sunny was asked about her participation in tvN 'Flower H4', and Lee Seo Jin. She said, "Some people bring luck with them, and I think Lee Seo Jin is such a person to me."She went on, "Back then, I was going through some difficult times. Many people loved to see me on entertainment shows, but I suddenly feared appearing on entertainment shows. I just didn't know how I should smile and what I should do. I refused the offer at first. However, Yoon Ah started persuading me, saying, 'They are looking for you this much. Are you still not going to participate?' That is how I decided to participate."She added, "I made my decision after a long thought, but I could actually forget about everything. It was a feeling that I've never felt before, and I could keep pushing myself."Meanwhile, Sunny drew attention by telling that Lee Seo Jin is not his ideal type./Reporting by Lim ju-hui en@starnnews.com

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Guest tuchee11

Guest tuchee11

Aside from mineememe and Hulu, are there any other subbing squads covering this? Too bad I can't watch in on Hulu because I'm not from the US I wanted to download the RAW ones but I couldn't find any softsubs. I think this show deserves a lot of support outside of Korea too